Nothing makes me happier than capturing the world one destination at a time so make sure you follow me on my adventures! However, I had just completed a successful jump and been inducted into the Mostari Diving Clubs Hall of Fame, an honour that fewer than 1,000 people around the world can claim. This 18-year-old Mostarian, with his famous flight, gives an unforgettable experience to fans of this extreme sport, and considering that he is in good shape from year to year, we will still enjoy his jumps. The diving club installed a platform beside the temporary suspension bridge and carried on with their annual bridge diving competition. Theres another tower at the eastern end of Stari Most called Tara, wheres the. He never jumped on his feet. Once you stand there over the barrier, you must relax and take your time. What To Pack For Greece After an 11-year struggle, Pasic's . 1,426. The 16th-century bridge was destroyed in 1993 and reconstructed in in 2004. We did a coin flip to decide who would jump first and, luckily or not, I got to jump last. Ok, thats a joke! Immortalized on the flag and coat of arms of the city, the Old Bridge is the center of life in Mostar since its construction in the 16th century. The jump costs 35 (10 for the training and 25 for the Old Bridge jump). Even the best ice cream in town is served right beside Stari Most and best enjoyed on the bridge. Collecting money from passersby before jumping Suiting up before jumping The view from the bridge The arc of the bridge Stari Most, the bridge at Mostar An onlooker carrying scars and tattoos possibly from the Bosia-Croatia war A dog's life. New Talgo trains are comfortable and have even free wifi! SFOR - Mostar Bridge is standing up. Thats because you are now an official member of the Mostar Diving Club! Finally, and the option we had, was to drive there. These leave from many of the major cities in Croatia. The most iconic landmark of the city, and perhaps of all of Herzegovina, the Stari Most (Old [] The surrounding Stari Grad, the Old City of Mostar, is a perfect example of a historically important multicultural town with pre-Ottoman, eastern Ottoman, and Mediterranean architecture. 1Lt. Here, they will give you 2 to 5 practice jumps to show you how to do it properly and to avoid injury when it comes to the real thing. A painstakingly faithful replica was completed in 2004. Youll then need to do a few practice jumps. In the Bosnian parts of Mostar, around 60-70% of houses were totally destroyed or badly damaged. I dont think wearing a wetsuit is essential, but I would 100% recommend it. Local tradition says that a 16-year-old boy must jump from the bridge as a right of passage, but more importantly, it is said that the boys life will be a complete failure if he doesnt jump. His students later designed the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and helped to create Taj Mahal. The train traffic between Sarajevo, Mostar, and Capljina near the Adriatic coast is now running again after being suspended for years. 3 years on, this post is still fully accurate. In the second Siege of Mostar, the Old Bridge was used for combat on the front line, until Croats shelled it on 9th of November 1993. If not, its just not for you. I'm healthy, fit and in my early 50s, and want to do it before I'm much older? But in May, when we jumped, it was roughly 22-23 metres high. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Definitely visit oneday, Drugi put kada dodjes vodim te dole i srednju Bosnu, Your email address will not be published. John, Vlad, Ricardo and Pierre, thank you. We didnt do this unfortunately, but apparently you can kayak down the river. In fact, they are due to return later this year in August. Somehow, at the last second, I managed to pull my arms and legs in, grab my balls, and make myself pencil-thin as I speared the water. Yesss, I will be, but I think You should, otherwise it could be dangerous. Such as: Mostar really is a wonderful place to visit, however, it is quite a poor city. It is very important that the jumps survived when the bridge was demolished, that the tradition was preserved at that time, everything else is just an upgrade, the worlds recognition of what we are doing he said. I know a guy who did this when were in Bosnia in 2006. They require proof of this at the border to let you in. One thing is for sure; everyone must pay a visit to Mostar and walk across the UNESCO-inscribed Mostar Bridge and experience it for themselves. Mostar is straightforward to reach by car, Where To Stay In The Capital City Of Sarajevo, How To Spend A Day In Mostar (A List Of Things To Do In Mostar), Best Things To Do In Bosnia And Herzegovina. In winter time (I think) the water flows at its highest so, naturally, the distance from the bridge to the waters surface decreases. Divers jumped from the Bosnia and Herzegovina's historic Mostar Bridge on Sunday, in a tradition dating back to the 17th century. I had first heard that tourists could jump off Stari Most (the Old Bridge) in Mostar, Bosnia, only a couple of hours before. Good question! Bravely jumping off the bridge, they draw large crowds who want to see them perform their death-defying leaps into the Neretva river below. This causes people to freeze and actually makes things far harder. According to history books, the first person jumped off Mostar bridge already in 1664. While many blogs claim Mostar bridge jumping safe, YouTube is full of videos of jumps gone bad by unlucky tourists. We saw signs advertising buses from Munich for about 14 I believe, so its really not that expensive. More than an architectural masterpiece was lost. And of course, we wanted it to be recorded. https://www.bizarreglobehopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mostar-bridge-daylight-bosnia-and-hertzegovina.jpg. In fact, most people visitingSplit or Dubrovnikin Croatia will take a day trip to Mostar to see the iconic bridge. In my opinion, hell yeah! But as long as you jump, as theyve instructed, youll be fine. Jumping from the bridge in Mostar was one of my all-time favorite memories from driving all across that part of Europe. If you have you been in Mostar, please share with us your best tips for exploring and photographing the Old Bridge and surrounding Old Town of Mostar! This year, as in previous years, participants will certainly come from all countries of the former Yugoslavia. Let me know in the comments below! We want to use, edit and work with this amazing Image. Neretva is among the coldest rivers in the world. Its not precisely costly, and as long as youre into thrill-seeking activities, its the perfect thing to do in Mostar. It really wasn't long, because it's not much training. The tradition of jumping is 451 years old. In Summer, the water is at its lowest and so the distance is highest. Mostar's Old Bridge measures 13 feet wide, 98 feet long and over 78 feet high and at one point in history was the largest man-made arch in the world. With the help of UNESCO, Mostar Bridge was rebuilt in 2004, stone by stone and according to the original architecture. The scars of war run still deep and bullet-ridden facades can be seen around Mostar, especially in the eastern part. Every year there is a special bridge jump competition . Well, you will splash against the green Neretva River in 3 seconds after jumping off Stari Most. Facts about the Old Bridge. Whats good is that, if you do the 10 meter jump and then don't want to do the big jump, is you only then pay the 10 and that's it. Thank goodness you didn't hurt yourself! However, most of the jumpers will be from Mostar. Ask one of the bridge jumpers if you can't find it and they will show you. Apparently a dude who jumped the day before me broke one or both arms - I was always suspect of that story but yeah, it's a dangerous jump that's for sure. After settling a deal with Mostar diving club, the bridge jumping candidate is given a short briefing and a wetsuit to fight the coldness of Neretva. The Mostar Bridge was built in 1557 by architect Mimar Hajrudin, a disciple of Sinan, the father of classic Ottoman architecture. His partner first collects money in a hat while the jumper makes the audience nervous and excited. If something happens and they need to come in and get you, then they will. After I had successfully completed my jump I screamed with joy from the water. Stari Most is 13 ft (4 meters) wide, 100 ft (30 . The bridge, a masterpiece of Ottoman Turkish architecture, was commissioned by none other then Suleiman the Magnificent, and designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student of the famous Mimar Sinan. Sinan was the chief Ottoman architect of Suleyman the Magnificent. Anyways, I was committed to doing it and soon found out everything I needed to know from the locals. If you're in your 50s, just make sure your heart is up to the job - I'm sure it is but it's a bloody scary jump! The Mostar Old Bridge is also known as Stari Most, Mostar Most, Bosnia Bridge, Mostar Bridge, Mostar Stari Most, Mostarski Most, or Stari Most. He entered the competition for the first time in 2000. In my experience with diving from a young age, its never a good idea to stand there for too long. Better yet, as you come back above the surface, you are greeted by dozens of spectators clapping and cheering you for your effort. Then it's time to jump off the . An Adventurous World (2014-23). Before you jump, the dive team will outfit you with a wetsuit. And thats when I launched myself off the side of the bridge into the river below. You can cross into Bosnia Herzegovina by all surrounding countries at a variety of borders. The nearby airport is called Mostar International Airport and its only a 10-15 minute drive outside the heart of the city. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Sure, theres always a chance you could hurt yourself with a slightly dodgy landing, but the whole team is there on hand to jump in and help you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Bizarre Globe Hopper. Hell eventually reach his climax of wowing the crowd with a death-defying Stari Most bridge jump. Once done, you are more than welcome to jump in again. Afterwards, you head back up to the clubhouse to get dressed. They say that only the most skilled and best trained should jump, and that certainly wasnt me. Even though it was undoubtedly beautiful, it was also one of the most imposing I have ever seen. If you cant get this bit correct, I doubt they will even let you take the bridge jump, so its important to take it seriously (though its really not that hard). The Ottoman sultan was so tired of unsuccessful bridge building attempts that he threatened to execute every failing architect. Footage showed the ancient town and the iconic bridge itself. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. I did exactly what the instructors had told me to do. Floods swiped away much of its footpath in December 2000, but once again UNESCO came to help and restored the Crooked Bridge to its former glory. The best traditional restaurant in Mostar according to our inspection is FoodHouse on the western bank of Neretva, appr. Guide To The Mostar Bridge Jump Split, Croatia (1-2 Days) Split, Croatia You will cross borders several times, and here you are crossing back into the long narrow nation of Croatia to the most famous seaside town, Split. You also sign your name in a giant ledger of everyone else who has come before you. While many locals say that the Old Bridge is haunted, to our misfortune we didnt catch any ghost stories. ISTANBUL Jul 30, 2018 - 12:00 am GMT+3 Spectators watch as a diver jumps from the Old Mostar Bridge during the 452nd traditional annual high diving competition, in Mostar, Bosnia, 140 kilometers . Within the last year, many Bosnians have feared that the country. Such as the one below which was taken during the annual diving competition they still hold there. Mostar and notably the Mostar Bridge, or Stari Most as its known locally, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovinas major tourist attractions. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, heres a quick rundown of the most popular questions people have and are the same ones that I had before doing the bridge jump. You can read our privacy policy here. Your submission has been received! There have been at least 4 reported deaths since 2012. So, what else could I do? The answer to this question will never be, yes, it is 100% safe!. If youre still willing, organizing Mostar Bridge jumping is easy. The jump is a centuries-old a rite of passage in Mostar, but for outsiders (and many locals), it's a terrifying one. Most boys jump off Mostar Bridge only once, but then there are the bridge diving enthusiasts who call themselves ikari, after Icaros who fell to his death. Still, its a stunning landmark and icon of peace known all over the world. You might want to read the next chapter about the hazards of jumping off Mostar Bridge or any bridge before making the decision. Oh and be warned: dont try this at home! I'm not too sure I'd do it again though - I think once was enough for me! Tell me about it! Mostar was developed further during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Mostar Bridges height is around 29 meters in full length and is approximately 4 meters wide. Youll need to do more if you struggle to get the technique right. All in all, it doesn't take long from booking the jump to actually doing it. Home Blog Adventures Mostar Bridge Jump: Read This Before Jumping Off Mostar Bridge! I only jumped with the professional supervision of someone who does this day in day out. That certainly wasnt me, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovinas major tourist attractions as. ; s time to jump in again activities, its the perfect thing to do a few practice.. Is 13 ft ( 30 many of the former Yugoslavia previous years, participants will certainly come from all of! I screamed with joy from the water is at its lowest and so the is... 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